Thursday, April 24, 2008

Son of a Bun

I am guessing that the reason the backyard bunnies seem so tame is they are actually trying to lure me away from their little treasures. Betsy the beagle found this little fellow trying to play hide 'n' seek.



If I can't see you, you can't see me.

I lured the dog away and left the bunny alone, hoping it would find it's way back to a nest or it's mom, but later it was still there. I tried prying it out of the corner with a stick, hoping it would hop away, but it just sat there. I'm not sure it was mature enough to be out of the nest, as it still had the baby bunny instinct to be as still as possible in the hopes of escaping detection, instead of the run-for-your-life instinct. So I put on leather gloves and picked it up and carried it around the corner of the house where the dog could not get it and hid it behind the iris. Hopefully Mom will find it before a cat does.

When not rescuing baby bunnies, I am taking photos.



I planted this sandcherry last summer and am pleased to note the rabbits left it alone over the winter and it appears rather happy to be in my yard. The neighbor across the street had a couple of these at the corners of their front yard, and I looked forward to admiring the pink flowers against the dark foliage every spring, but for some reason he tore them out. So I planted my own.

(This same neighbor shared their plan to also remove a whole row of conifers, which made me gasp out loud. I suggested they not because 1) the trees act as a privacy fence between them and the neighbor to the south, and 2) trees increase a property's value. The problem was he did not want to mow around them - maybe that is why he got rid of the sand cherries - so he compromised by trimming up the lower branches.)

Grape hyacinth really smell like grapes!



The rhododendron in all it's glory.



Three (?) years ago, I planted three arborvitae to provide backyard privacy. Despite the rabbits efforts, they are doing fine, growing from their initial 4 feet to over 6 feet.



The daffodils are from Breck's, their "naturalizing" collection.





When I planted the bulbs, I also planted an English bluebell bulb in each hole. The bluebell foliage comes up every year, but I haven't seen many flowers. Maybe this year will be different.

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